Referring to FIG. 1, non-sliding and slide miter saws both have a base 11, a rotatable table 12 attached to the base 11, a saw assembly 20 including a motor 21, a blade 22 driven by the motor 21, a cover housing (not shown) covering motor 21, an upper blade guard 24 covering the upper part of blade 22, and a lower guard 25 (shown in broken lines) pivotably attached to upper blade guard 24 for covering the lower part of blade 21. Accordingly, the saw assembly 20 is pivoted downwardly for cutting a workpiece disposed on the base 11 and table 12.
In addition, slide miter saws enable the user to move the saw assembly horizontally along the table. Most slide miter saws accomplish this by connecting the upper blade guard 24 (and thus the saw assembly 20) to a pivot arm 26, which in turn is connected to a trunnion 13, which is fixedly connected to at least one rail 14, which is slidably attached to a support housing 15 connected to the table 12 (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,885). With such arrangement, the user would pull the saw assembly 20 forwardly, move the saw assembly 20 downwardly, then push the saw assembly 20 rearwardly for cutting a workpiece W.
The miter saw may also have a movable fence assembly 30 attached to the base 11. Movable fence assembly 30 may extend laterally across table 12, against which workpiece W can be positioned and supported for performing the cutting operation thereon. Movable fence assembly 30 typically includes a fixed fence 31 attached to base 11, and a movable fence 32 connected to the fixed fence 21. Usually, movable fence 32 is slidably attached to fixed fence 31. Persons skilled in the art are referred to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,297,463 and 5,943,931, which are wholly incorporated by reference herein.
Some miter saws include dust collection flaps 27 for directing the dust resulting from the cuffing operation through pivot arm 26 and/or upper blade guard 24, which then exits through dust port 27P. Some typical dust collection flaps 27 are made of rubber or other resilient materials.
The invention is now described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals designate like parts. Referring to FIGS. 1–2, a slide miter saw 10 preferably has a base 11, a table 12 rotatably connected to the base 11, a support housing 15 pivolally connected to table 12, at least one (and preferably two) rail(s) 14 slidably connected to the sapport housing 15, arid a saw assembly 20 which comprises a trunnion 13 attached to one end of the rail(s) 14, a pivot arm 26 pivotably attached to trunnion 13, a motor 21, a blade 22 driven by the motor 21, an upper blade guard 24 for covering an upper part of blade 22, and a lower blade 25 pivotally attached to the upper blade guard 24 for covering a lower part of blade 22 Preferably the motor 21 is attached to the upper blade guard 24. These elements are well known in the art. Persons skilled in the art are referred to U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,885, which is wholly incorporated by reference herein.